After the controversial ban was lifted by the Nigerian government, Twitter users were allowed access to the platform in Nigeria for the first-time in seven months.
Nigeria’s government ordered telecom companies to block access to the site in June, after Twitter removed a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari seen to be To incite ethnic violence, for breaching its “abusive behavior” policy. In retaliation, the administration blocked access to the site on its mobile network, a social media platform that is used widely by journalists and activists across the country. condemning what it called “activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” on the platform.
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Nigeria lifted the ban on Jan. 13 after it secured Twitter’s commitment to opening a local office, appointing a head for its business in the country and paying domestic taxes. Months before the ban, Twitter chose Ghana as the location of its first African office, overlooking the continent’s biggest market, Nigeria.
Nigerians now have access to Twitter via a virtual private network without the need for a VPN, but access is blocked by a variety of countries.
China
China’s government has been censoring Twitter and Meta-owned Facebook in China since 2009. It was done in response to the deadly riots at Xinjiang. China’s restriction of foreign media platforms and censorship of non-governmental material has been dubbed the Great Firewall of China. Meta’s messaging platform Whatsapp and its photo- and video-sharing app Instagram are also blocked.
Tencent has developed WeChat, which is a messaging app that can be used for multiple purposes. It’s the popular alternative to WhatsApp in China. The app has been subsidized by the government since its creation in 2011, and is obliged to share users’ data with the state. WeChat controls all user data. It has mini-apps for paying bills, booking doctor appointments, and filing police reports. WeChat revealed plans in 2017 for Card virtual identificationThis would be recognised by the State.
TikTok, a video-sharing application that was created by Bytedance in China, is currently not available for Chinese users. Bytedance also created Douyin, a twin application. Douyin features restrictions such as blocks on international content and limits on children’s usage. China’s state holds a share in Bytedance, which controls the country’s social media platforms and information portals.
India
When TikTok launched in India in 2016, the country became one of Bytedance’s biggest markets outside of China: Data published in April 2020 showed that 30% of TikTok’s downloadsIndia. It was available in multiple languages across the country, so it is easily accessible by all.
But, the Indian Government will resume its operations in June 2020. TikTok was banned along with other mobile apps 58Cite “activities…prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.” The move was seen as retaliation by the Indian government to clashes between Indian and Chinese forces at the Himalayan border. WeChat for Chinese was also stopped. ByteDance was also blocked. Indian operations were scaled backThe ban was effectively lifted and the nation is now exempted from it.
Iran
Iran has banned Twitter and Facebook since 2009. This is in response to mass protests and disputed elections. government opposition. VPNs are used to circumvent the restrictions by certain users. However, Legislative proposalsVPNs could be criminalized, ID requirements for internet access, and security agencies would have control over the internet. Iran said in 2020 that it would be collaborating with China to establish a cyberspace. National Iranian InternetThis could include similar controls as the Great Firewall of China.
In January 2021 Twitter blocked one account some believe to be linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which made a threat towards Donald Trump. Khamenei has an official twitter page.
North Korea
North Korea Officially blocked Facebook and Twitter in 2016, and announced that anyone trying to access them in an “improper” way or distribute “anti-republic data” from them would be punished.
Prior to the ban, few North Koreans had access to the worldwide web, and most were limited to a government-controlled intranet. Foreigners were unable to post information about North Korea on social media sites after the ban.
Turkmenistan
Ex-Soviet Central Asian states ban Western social media platforms and popular Russian networks. Turkmenistan is also blocking Facebook and Twitter. Turkmenistan which is predominantly Muslim asks its citizens to do the same.You can find more information here You can swear by the QuranWhen signing up to a home internet service, students are told that they cannot access VPNs. The following questions are required for students: You can sign the statements You will pledge not to use the Internet to view banned websites.
